Inaugural events draw lobbyists

Special interest groups make use of festivities to schmooze with clients.

Special interest groups make use of festivities to schmooze with clients.

January 13, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mere hours before Barack Obama is sworn in as president with a pledge to end the grip of special interests on government, a group of lobbyists will be feting Rep. John Conyers, a powerful Democratic committee chairman, at a $1,000-a-head reception. Lobbyists at the influential firm Greenberg Traurig are only a few of the scores of D.C. insiders who are using Obama's inauguration as a golden chance to schmooze with their clients and government contacts and to dispense political campaign cash to influential players -- even as the president-elect has pledged to limit their influence. The Conyers reception, to be held at Greenberg Traurig's downtown office on the afternoon before Inauguration Day, is a chance for some of the firm's top people to highlight for clients their relationship with an early supporter of the new president. The Michigan Democrat, whose political action committee will pocket proceeds from the event, also happens to be the head of the Judiciary Committee -- with sway over immigration and intellectual property issues, among others. It's just one of the ways that lobbyists are using the days around the Jan. 20 swearing-in to spend time with clients, lawmakers, congressional aides, incoming administration officials and others. One constantly updated spreadsheet compiled by a Democratic consultant runs 34 pages and lists well over 100 balls, receptions and fundraisers -- and that excludes most of the countless corporate events also being staged. The list ranges from the Presidential Inaugural Committee's 10 official balls to other gatherings whose sponsors include the Hawaii State Society, the Democratic Governors Association and the Hip-Hop Caucus. "A majority of them would be beneficial to any lobbyist who is interested in cultivating the new administration and meeting people," said the consultant, Kimberly Scott. The activity underscores that despite Obama's pledge to restrain the influence of lobbyists -- including barring their contributions to pay for official inaugural events -- they are still using the occasion to conduct business. Many lobbyists consider it especially important to work hard when a new administration takes over. Lobbyist Patrick M. Murphy likens the impact of a new president to the complexity of a Rubik's Cube because long-valued contacts take jobs in a new administration, causing a ripple effect of turnover on Capitol Hill and in lobbying and law firms and trade associations in town. "It's a very important time to see everyone and be seen and find out where everyone's going next," said Murphy, a senior vice president with mCapitol Management. Compounding that is the huge turnover in Congress from November's elections, which propelled more than 60 new House and Senate members to the capital. That has made it especially important for lobbyists to attend receptions to meet new lawmakers and aides. "It's axiomatic that you want to befriend members as they're coming into Congress, rather than trying to make that friendship after they've been here. It's always easier to build on a relationship you already have than to start a new one," said Frank Coleman, spokesman for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, which represents the liquor industry. Thanks to Murphy, his lobbying firm can provide clients and friends with a highly sought perk: A vantage point off Pennsylvania Avenue to watch the inaugural parade as it wends up that street from the Capitol to the White House. In one measure of how seriously lobbyists view this part of their work, Murphy's firm has used the clubby Capital Grille to view inaugural parades for two decades because he reserved it for those events when the restaurant was just a construction site in the 1980s. The National Association of Manufacturers and the lobbying firm Butera & Andrews are among dozens of associations, practices and companies that will use their offices overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue for inaugural bashes, letting them showcase their prime real state in a town where an office address carries major significance. It's also an opportunity for companies to highlight their client lists and relationships with influential people. For the official inaugural balls held hours after the noontime swearing-in, Obama has forbidden contributions from lobbyists, corporations, unions and political action committees, entities established to make campaign contributions. But unofficial soirees with an Obama draw -- such as a ball Monday night put on by his home-state Illinois State Society and one Tuesday thrown by his native Hawaii State Society -- are attracting attention from lobbyists and corporate backers. Sponsors for the Illinois ball include Exelon, the energy company, and the electronics firm Motorola. The Hawaii event's sponsors include Lockheed Martin Corp., the defense contractor. Perennial Strategy Group, a Washington-based lobbying firm, is among the sponsors of both balls. "It's a place where anybody can talk to anybody," Micah Mossman, chairman of the Hawaii state ball, said of his event. "A lobbyist might find that an appealing opportunity." One of Washington's better-known lobbying firms, BGR Group, is helping promote a Tuesday night ball by the Creative Coalition, an entertainment industry advocacy group, and will host a gathering in its office during the parade. Lawmakers and entertainers including actress Susan Sarandon are expected to attend the ball. "It's showing a little bravado on the business side," said BGR spokeswoman Jessica Hoy. "It's also getting business done by having clients here and letting them network with these people."